Lively: A visitor observes interactive art displayed during the Jakarta Art Stage at Sheraton Hotel in South Jakarta on Friday
span class="inline inline-center">
Internationally renowned art event Art Stage Jakarta opened its second edition at the Sheraton Grand Gandaria City in South Jakarta on Friday.
Several works of art from Indonesian galleries, including the Nadi Gallery, the Semarang Gallery, ROH Projects, D Gallerie, Rachel’s Gallerie and CAN’s Gallery, are being exclusively showcased at the event, while 36 international galleries from, among others, Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Singapore and the United States have been set up.
Head curator and Art Stage Jakarta president Lorenzo Rudolf, who is also the founder of Art Stage Singapore and former director of the world’s largest art event, Art Basel, said the focus of this year’s event was mainly to get both established artists in Indonesia and the younger talent on the same platform.
Last year’s first ever Art Stage Jakarta was deemed a success with its 50 exhibits and showcase on legendary late Indonesian painter Affandi. This year, the event expands to 100 exhibitors, some of whom will feature work in Gandaria City Mall’s main atrium as part of an inclusiveness strategy pursued by Art
Stage Jakarta.
Rudolf explained that with the participation of international galleries and cultural institutions such as the Italian Cultural Institute of Jakarta, Erasmus Huis and Institut Francais d’Indonesie (IFI), Art Stage Jakarta strove to make Jakarta an international art destination and competitive art city.
The expansion into parts of Gandaria City Mall, the curator said, was part of a strategy to include those of varied backgrounds and a way to remove the ivory tower impression of art.
“Our goal is to position and put Jakarta on the international art map as a destination, and promote the city’s creative energy first and foremost,” Rudolf said in a recent interview with The Jakarta Post.
For the first time, the event will also feature exhibitions related to street art, as Rudolf feels that it is the soul of an urban environment coming to life.
As part of a bid to be recognized, Art Stage Jakarta also hosts an awards ceremony that honors Indonesian artists, young and old. Called the Bhinneka Awards, held at the IFI Auditorium in Central Jakarta, it awards artists, collectors, curators and artwork across 13 categories, such as Best Curator, Best Young Curator and Best Gallery.
Some of the winners of what Rudolf calls “a sort of Oscars for the Indonesian art world” include visual artist Melati Suryodarmo, who won the title of Best Artist for her work in promoting art through contemporary mediums such as performance art and her body.
“The point of these awards is to honor artists and appreciators who have significantly developed and promoted Indonesian art in the last decades or so. We’re careful to include every figure from the past and the present,” Rudolf added.
As last year was the inaugural Art Stage Jakarta event, the work of Affandi received its own exhibition to honor the roots of Indonesian art and introduce to the world the country’s artistic origins and potential.
“I think that if people overseas were to know of Indonesian art, they would likely know contemporary artists such as Entang Wiharso and such. But they would have no clue about the history of Indonesian art and its past masters. I think that’s the reason why we had the Affandi exhibition last year, to introduce the past,” he said.
Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.